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Minnesota scores stunning upset to land 2018 Super Bowl | Jeff Duncan

Kevin Warren, Tanya Dreesen, Matt Muenier, Richard Davis

Members of the Minnesota Vikings front office, Kevin Warren, center left, Tanya Dreesen, center, and Matt Muenier, center right, celebrate with Richard Davis, right, CEO of U.S. Bank and the Minneapolis bid committee co-chair, after Minneapolis was selected as the host for 2018 Super Bowl at the NFL's spring meetings, Tuesday, May 20, 2014, in Atlanta. Minneapolis will host the 2018 Super Bowl after a vote by owners on Tuesday rewarded the city for getting a new stadium deal. The owners chose Minneapolis and the new $1 billion stadium planned for the site of the old Metrodome to host the championship over New Orleans and Indianapolis. (AP Photo/David Goldman) ORG XMIT: GADG108
(David Goldman)

This was like Meryl Streep losing Best Actress to Rosanne Barr. Or Michael Jordan losing a dunk competition to Greg Kite.

Minneapolis? Sure, they have a fancy new stadium but even Prince would admit the Twin Cities owned few advantages otherwise in this competition.

Minneapolis is a relative neophyte in the big-event hosting game compared to New Orleans and Indianapolis. Before this year's Major League Baseball All-Star Game in July, you have to back to the 2001 Final Four to find the last time it hosted a major sporting event.

Further, word in league circles was Minneapolis' financial package had more holes than a Whiffle ball.

And the weather? The average high temperature in Minneapolis on Feb. 4 is 18 degrees. That's Fahrenheit. The Arctic conditions require the city to link its downtown grid by 69 square blocks of enclosed skyways.

No, everything seemingly was in New Orleans' favor.

History. The Crescent City had hosted the event a record-tying 10 times.

Timing. The 2018 game would potentially kick off New Orleans' epic tricentennial celebration.

Emotion. The game would likely be Tom Benson's final bid as Saints owner.

What's more, New Orleans boasted arguably the most creative, comprehensive and attractive Super Bowl package in its formidable history as a Super Bowl host candidate.

But in the end, none of it mattered. NFL owners sent a message to New Orleans and the rest of the league on Tuesday. New stadiums trump tradition.

"This is a shock," said Rod West, CAO of Entergy and co-presenter of New Orleans' bid.

Minneapolis' commitment to build a $1 billion stadium outweighed all of the jazz and jambalaya New Orleans had to offer.

The NFL's track record of rewarding Super Bowls to cities is well established. The last eight teams with new stadiums that bid for the Super Bowl have now been successful on their first try: Houston; Phoenix/Glendale, Ariz.; Detroit; Dallas; Indianapolis; San Francisco/Santa Clara, Calif.; and Minneapolis.

Minneapolis' state-of-the-art facility is funded by $498 million in Minnesota taxpayer contributions. The stadium is scheduled to open in July 2016 and NFL owners obviously felt obligated to reward Minnesotans' commitment as soon as possible.

"It's much more competitive to host these Super Bowls," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. "The new stadiums are obviously a big factor, and I think, drive and influence owners' perspectives."

One other thing was at play here. New Orleans' prolificacy as a Super Bowl site appears to have had a counterintuitive effect on its bid. In a process now more competitive and inclusive than ever, familiarity might have bred contempt among NFL owners. With more cities than ever wanting a piece of the pie, a share-the-wealth philosophy prevails.

As difficult as it might be for all of us to conceive, the rest of America might be experiencing a bout of NOLA fatigue.

"It concerned me that if New Orleans won again that it would be very discouraging for other cities," Minnesota bid committee co-chair Marilyn Carlson Nelson told the NFL Network. "If it became ... always the first vote for New Orleans it would have been discouraging and it would have been hard to come back (for future bids)."

The same can now be said for New Orleans. City and team officials sank countless resources into the bid. Jay Cicero and Sam Joffray of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation worked tirelessly on the proposal over the past four months. They fully expected to win this thing.

"We were right there," Cicero said. "In the end, we felt it was the new stadium that did it for Minnesota, and we congratulate them."

On the heels of losing the bid for the 2016 College Football Championship to Glendale, Ariz., this is now the second major setback for New Orleans in its bid to host a major event. The competition for major events grows more intense each year. New Orleans understands this harsh reality today more than ever.